Grand Cru | North Coast Brewing Co.

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Reviews by oberon:

Poured into a large tulip glass a clear medium golden with a tinge of orange,a thinner but well defined white head atop.Sweet agave nectar,candied citrus,and as the beer warms vanilla-bourbon aromas,just smells sweet.Sweet and hot on the palate,alcohol plays a huge role in this beer...too big.Candied citrus and light phenols in the finish,the boubon barrel doesnt play much of a role on the palate.A sweet boozy bomb here,I expected better from a kick ass brewery,dissapointed.

Clear gold and yellow with a thin white head. Spotted, messy lacing down the glass.

Exceptionally sweet aroma: apple juice, pears, lemon, and alcohol.

Flavor follows the aroma, and it's not particularly pleasant. The beer is exceptionally sweet: lots of candied, sugary apples, pears, some lemon, some Belgian yeast tartness, perhaps some vanilla--and then more alcohol. Fairly unpleasant. Though those flavors don't sound terrible when listed, as a beer it just becomes a syrupy, sweet, boozy error.

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About one finger of off white head that settles into a thin patch.

Smell: A sweet, fruity, and yeasty Belgian style aroma with hints of Bourbon, fruits, and spice. Belgian yeast with hints of funk, clove, and pepper spicing. The barrel presence comes through with hints of bourbon whiskey, vanilla, oak, and slight wood. Big sweet scent of agave nectar. Lots of fruit esters with hints of pear, apples, banana, orange, mango, and lemon along with dark fruit hints of cherry, raisin, and fig. Pale malt with hints of caramel, toffee, biscuit, and straw. A pretty solid aroma.

Taste: Like the smell, a fruity, yeasty, and pretty sweet Belgian Cru style taste with notes of Bourbon, spice, and fruits. Belgian yeast with some notes of clove, funk, and pepper. Solid but not overwhelming barrel presence with notes of bourbon whiskey, oak, vanilla, and wood. Sweet notes of agave nectar and candied sugar. Good taste of fruit with notes of banana, apple, pear, orange, lemon, and mango. Dark fruit notes of raisin, cherry, and fig. Sweet malt notes of caramel, toffee, straw, and biscuit. A good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Juicy and fairly slick and syrupy. Alcohol heat is noticeable but tame considering the ABV and barrel aging.

Overall: A solid take on a Belgian style Grand Cru. Nice fruit esters that blend well with the barrel and agave presence.

Didn't expect this beer to come out looking like Coors, but it had a dark golden color. Just don't see that too often when something is labeled as bourbon barrel aged, but hey, something new. Aroma was all over the place. Mostly it was just the smell of alcohol. Throw in some roundabout fruit and wood, and there it is.

Taste, wow, even bigger disappointment. More alcohol heat, no distinguishable direction, seems like a grand cru where everything, including the kitchen sink is dumped together, slap it in a spirits barrel and a few months later, you have a beer that retailers can ask $20 a pop for. The bourbon aspect is paltry compared to the alcohol heat and belgian steroid yeast. Where the agave was, I have no idea. It was like a mix of raisin and pear, with wet oak, and rubbing alcohol with a boilermaker shot of whiskey added for 'bad' measure.

North Coast frequently gets it right with their affordable beers. Their barrel Rasputin was never in my opinion better than the regular, and this stuff is just downright disappointing on a whole nuther level.

T - So as fair as the typical reviews are going I am way off as I think this beer tastes pretty stellar. I don't want to compare it with most other Belgian Pale Ales because frankly this one is just weird. But weird doesn't mean bad, this is damn good. This is a full palate journey with sweet at first then sour and a little bitter at the end. Agave and honey hit me first then some citrus sourness and finally a slight wheat body and hint of back palate bitterness.

M - Medium body, medium carbonation.

O - I like Belgium ales and I thought this one deviated from the norm but that is a good thing. I really enjoyed it and would recommend this to other for a try.

Both the aroma and the flavor are quite fruity.
The lightly sweet flavor suggests golden raisins and ripe apricots but has a good bit of tartness too. There's an unusual component in the taste that may be the agave.
Pronounced BBL influence on the aroma, with more moderate BBL effects on he flavor.

Feel: Medium-full body and carbonation. Notable warming

O: a fine, refreshing sipper. A suitable anniversary beer, albeit not as wonderful as their Old Rasputin.

(Served in a chalice)
A- This beer pours a crystal clear golden yellow hue with a thin white cream and a champagne carbonation trailing to the surface.

S- The clean soft honey notes are dry with an agave nectar note and some malty cardboard notes to finish that are more abbey yeast and not really oxidation.

T- The slight sweetness has a dry hop note and some carbonic acid notes that finish with a slightly sweet boozy agave hint. The yeast character comes through with some pale malt and a touch of peach as the beer opens up. The finish takes on a vinous white wine and estery hint aswell.

M- The light mouthfeel has a gentle fizz to it and an alcohol spice in this finish.

O- There is some nice yeast character that is a bit hard to describe but blends with a hint of agave and some champagne characteristics except it is not really dry. There are some triple qualities but I don't get any barrel character. It becomes a bit one-dimensional and doesn't have a real character that makes it interesting enough to want to finish the whole bottle.